JP2001334968A - Vehicle with motive power - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle with motive power capable of surely preventing a sudden forward falling when ascending and descending stairs. SOLUTION: This vehicle comprises a frame 1, a pair of right and left front crawler units 2 and 2 provided on the right and left side surfaces of the frame 1 so that the front end sides are vertically rockable, a pair of right and left rear crawler units 3 and 3 provided on the right and left side surfaces of the frame 1 so that the rear end sides are vertically rockable, and a drive means 4 for rotating the front crawler units 2 and 2 and/or the rear crawler units 3 and 3. This vehicle further comprises a front rocking means 6 for synchronously rocking the front crawler units 2 and 2 in the same direction and a rear rocking means 7 for synchronously rocking the rear crawler units 3 and 3 in the same direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powered vehicle capable of traveling on a rough road such as a sandy or muddy ground, and climbing up and down steps such as stairs and hills.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A crawler traveling device is generally used as a powered vehicle capable of moving up and down stairs.
Since this crawler traveling device is used for transporting luggage and wheelchairs, a loading platform for loading these devices is swingably pivotally attached to the front end of the crawler traveling device, and the other end of the loading platform is vertically pivoted. When the stairs are moved up and down, the loading bed is swung to maintain a horizontal state.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional crawler traveling device, when the user climbs the stairs and reaches the landing or the top, the vehicle suddenly falls down. It was dangerous because he suddenly leaned (falled forward). Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a powered vehicle that can surely prevent a sharp forward fall when going up and down stairs.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a powered vehicle according to the present invention comprises a frame and a pair of left and right sides provided on the left and right side surfaces of the frame and the front end side of the frame is capable of vertically swinging. A front crawler unit, a pair of left and right rear crawler units provided on the left and right side surfaces of the frame and a rear end side of which can swing up and down, and a pair of left and right front crawler units and / or a pair of left and right rear crawler units A drive unit for rotationally driving, a front swing unit for synchronously swinging a pair of left and right front crawler units in the same direction, and a rear swing unit for synchronously swinging a pair of left and right rear crawler units in the same direction. Things.

Further, a frame, a pair of parallel front and rear shafts rotatably provided through the front and rear intermediate portion of the frame in the left-right direction, and one of the front and rear shafts is rotated. A drive means for driving, a pair of left and right front swing arms pivoted at rear ends to both ends of the front shaft, and a pair of left and right rear pivot arms pivotally connected at front ends to both ends of the rear shaft; And a pair of left and right front crawler units provided on the pair of left and right front swing arms and rotated by torque from the front shaft, and a pair of left and right rear swing arms provided on the pair of rear swing arms and from the rear shaft. A pair of right and left rear crawler units that rotate with a torque of the same, interlocking rotating means that rotates the front and rear crawler units in an interlocking manner at the same rotational speed, and a pair of left and right front crawler units in the same direction Before swinging means for synchronously swinging, in which the crawler unit pair of left and right rear with a, a swing unit after synchronizing swings in the same direction.

A pair of left and right front wheels are provided at the front ends of a pair of left and right front swing arms and in front of a pair of front crawler units so as to be able to swing up and down, and a hydraulic pressure for swinging the left and right front wheels respectively. A cylinder is provided, and a pair of left and right rear wheels are provided at the rear ends of the pair of left and right rear swing arms and at the rear position of the pair of rear crawler units so as to be vertically swingable. The hydraulic cylinder is provided.

In addition, there are provided front interlocking rotating means for interlockingly rotating the front wheel and the front crawler unit at the same rotation speed, and rear interlocking rotating means for interlockingly rotating the rear wheel and the rear crawler unit at the same rotation speed. is there.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings showing embodiments.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 1 and the plan view of FIG. 2, a powered vehicle according to the present invention is provided with a frame 1 and left and right side surfaces and a front end side of the frame 1 so as to be vertically swingable. A pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2, a pair of left and right rear crawler units 3 and 3 provided on the left and right side surfaces of the frame 1 and a rear end side of which can swing up and down, and a pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 And / or a driving means 4 for rotationally driving the pair of left and right rear crawler units 3 and 3, an interlocking rotating means 5 for interlockingly rotating the front and rear crawler units 2 and 3 at the same rotation speed, and a pair of left and right front crawler units 2 , 2 in the same direction, and rear swing means 7 in which the pair of right and left rear crawler units 3, 3 are synchronized in the same direction.

More specifically, the frame 1 has a pair of left and right side wall members 8, 8 and a connecting plate 9 provided on the upper surfaces of the left and right side wall members 8, 8, and is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. Is done. A pair of parallel front shafts 10 and rear shafts 11 are provided rotatably through the front and rear intermediate portions of the side wall members 8 of the frame 1 in the left-right direction. 4 is the front shaft 10
Or, a driving unit that rotationally drives the rear shaft 11, for example, a motor 12 that can rotate forward and reverse, and a pulley and a belt that transmit torque from the motor 12 to one of the front shaft 10 and the rear shaft 11. And a rotational force transmission mechanism 13. In the present embodiment, the rear shaft 11 is
To rotate.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rear ends of a pair of left and right front swing arms 14, 14 are pivotally attached to both ends of the front shaft 10, and the rear ends of the rear shaft 11 are connected to both ends. The front ends of a pair of right and left rear swing arms 15, 15 are pivotally mounted. The front swing arm 14 includes a linear portion 14a provided from the rear end to the vicinity of the front end of the frame 1, an upper protruding portion 14b protruding upward from the front end of the linear portion 14a, and protruding forward from an upper end of the upper protruding portion 14b. And a front protruding portion 14c. The rear swing arm 15 includes a linear portion 15a provided from the front end to the vicinity of the rear end of the frame 1, an upper protruding portion 15b protruding upward from the rear end of the linear portion 15a, and an upper end of the upper protruding portion 15b. And a rear protruding portion 15c protruding rearward from the rear.

The linear portion 14a of the front swing arm 14
And a rear crawler unit 3 is provided on the linear portion 15a of the rear swing arm 15. More specifically, while the drive wheel 16 is fixed to the end of the front shaft 10 that penetrates the base end of the front swing arm 14,
An idle wheel 17 is rotatably connected to the front end of the linear portion 14a via a pivot shaft 26, and an endless crawler 18 is wound around the drive wheel 16 and the idle wheel 17. Further, a mounting plate 20 is provided on the side surface of the linear portion 14a of the front swing arm 14, and a plurality of rolling wheels 19 are rotatably provided on the mounting plate 20. Thus, the front crawler unit 2 is configured. On the other hand, after passing through the front end of the rear swing arm 15, the shaft
A drive wheel 21 is fixedly attached to the end of the drive wheel 11, and an idler wheel 22 is rotatably connected to the rear end of the linear portion 15a via a pivot shaft 27 so as to be rotatable. The endless crawler 23 is wound, and a mounting plate 24 is further provided on the side surface of the linear portion 15a. A plurality of rolling wheels 25 are rotatably provided on the mounting plate 24, and the rear crawler unit 3 is mounted. It is configured. The crawlers 18 and 23 are preferably made of rubber in order not to damage the steps or the like, but may be made of metal.

The interlocking rotating means 5 for interlockingly rotating the front and rear crawler units 2 and 3 at a constant rotation speed includes a pair of pulleys fixed to an end of the front shaft 10 and an end of the rear shaft 11. And a belt for suspending each pulley. Alternatively, a sprocket and a chain may be used instead of the pulley and the belt. The interlocking rotating means 5 includes a front shaft and a rear shaft.
It is provided on each of the right and left ends of 10, 11.

The front swinging means 6 for synchronously swinging the pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 in the same direction has a main body side pivotally attached to the frame 1 and rod tips at front swinging arms 14 and 14, respectively.
A pair of hydraulic cylinders 28,
And a hydraulic supply source (not shown) for synchronously expanding and contracting the pair of hydraulic cylinders 28, 28. The left and right hydraulic cylinders 28, 28 expand and contract synchronously, as shown in FIG. The left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 oscillate vertically in synchronization with the left and right front swing arms 14 and 14. On the other hand, the rear swinging means 7 for synchronously swinging the pair of right and left rear crawler units 3 and 3 in the same direction includes a main body side pivotally connected to the frame 1 and a rod end at the front and rear intermediate portions of the rear swinging arms 15 and 15, respectively. And a pair of hydraulic cylinders 29, 29, respectively, pivotally mounted on the pair, and a hydraulic supply source (not shown) for synchronously expanding and contracting the pair of hydraulic cylinders 29, 29.

Further, the powered vehicle according to the present invention has a pair of left and right front wheels 30, 30 at the front ends of the pair of left and right front swing arms 14, 14 and in front of the pair of front crawler units 2, 2.
Are provided to be able to swing up and down, and the left and right front wheels 30,
Hydraulic cylinders 31, 31 for swinging the respective 30 and a hydraulic supply source (not shown) for synchronously expanding and contracting the pair of hydraulic cylinders 31, 31 are provided. In addition, a pair of rear crawler units 3,
A pair of left and right rear wheels 32, 32 are provided at the rear position of the pair 3 so as to be able to swing up and down, and hydraulic cylinders 33, 33 and a pair of hydraulic cylinders 33, 33 respectively swing the left and right rear wheels 32, 32.
And a hydraulic pressure supply source (not shown) for synchronously extending and retracting.

More specifically, a swinging piece 34 is provided so as to swing forward from an upper and lower intermediate position of the upper projecting portion 14b of the front swinging arm 14, and a leaf spring 35 is provided on the lower surface side of the swinging piece 34. The front wheel 30 is rotatably attached to the leaf spring 35 via a pivot shaft 38. Further, the main body side of the hydraulic cylinder 31 is connected to the front protruding portion 14 c of the front swing arm 14.
And the front end of the front wheel 30 (with respect to the front rocking arm 14) together with the rocking piece 34 due to the expansion and contraction of the hydraulic cylinder 31, as shown in FIG. ) Swing up and down. Similarly, a swinging piece 36 is provided so as to swing forward from an upper protruding portion 15b of the rear swinging arm 15, and a leaf spring 37 is attached to the lower surface side of the swinging piece 36. The rear wheel 32 is rotatably mounted on the leaf spring 37 via a pivot 39. Further, the body side of the hydraulic cylinder 33 is pivotally attached to the rear projecting portion 15c of the rear swing arm 15, and the rod end is pivotally attached to the swinging piece 36. The wheels 32 swing vertically (relative to the rear swing arm 15).

Further, the front wheel 30 and the front crawler unit 2 are interlockedly rotated at the same rotation speed by the front interlocking rotation means 40, and the rear wheel 32 and the rear crawler unit 3 are equally rotated by the rear interlocking rotation means 41. It is configured to rotate in conjunction with the speed. The front interlocking rotating means 40 includes a pair of pulleys fixed to the end of the pivot shaft 38 and the end of the pivot shaft 26, and a belt for suspending each pulley. Similarly, the rear interlocking rotating means 41 also includes a pair of pulleys fixed to the end of the pivot shaft 39 and the end of the pivot shaft 27, and a belt for suspending each pulley. Note that sprockets and chains may be used instead of pulleys and belts.

By providing the interlocking rotating means 5 and the front / rear interlocking rotating means 40, 41, the driving means 4 can be driven to drive the left and right front / rear crawler units 2, 3 and the left / right front / rear wheels. 30 and 32 move forward or backward by interlocking rotation at the same rotation speed in the same direction (see FIG. 6).

Next, the operation and operation of the powered vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 6, in the case of running on a road 42 in a good condition such as a level ground, the left and right front wheels 30, 30 and the rear wheels 32, 32 are swung downward to cause the left and right front crawler units 2, 2. 2 and the rear crawler units 3 and 3 are lifted off the road 42 and run. In this case, the running resistance is greatly reduced, and the vehicle can run with energy saving.

As shown in FIG. 7, when traveling on a bad road 43 with bad conditions such as sand, mud, gravel roads, etc., the left and right front wheels 30, 30 and rear wheels 32, 32 swing upward. By moving and floating, the left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 and the rear crawler units 3 and 3 are grounded on the rough road 43, so that the vehicle can travel without difficulty.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when traveling on a bad road 43 in a worse condition, the front and rear wheels 30,...
By returning to the initial state (see FIG. 1) at the same height position as the rear crawler units 2,..., And grounding, it is possible to stably travel on this rough road 43. Also, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the front of the vehicle is
The front wheels 30, 30 swing upwards and
As shown in (b) of the figure, the front crawler units 2 and 2 can be easily lifted out of the recess 44 by swinging downward so as to float up.

Next, a case where the powered vehicle climbs the stairs 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. Figure 10 (a) shows the stairs 45
, The front and rear wheels 30,..., 32 are in a state of being swung upward. In this state, as you move toward the stairs 45, the rotating front wheels 3
0 and 30 come in contact with the first step and climb up. Then, the front crawler units 2 and 2 and the rear crawler units 3 and 3 climb up in order and climb the stairs 45 as shown in FIG. Go.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), when the front crawler units 2 and 2 reach the landing on the stairs 45 or the flat area 46 such as the uppermost step, the front crawler units 2 and 2 To swing downward (in the direction of arrow A)
And forward while supporting the front portion of the frame 1 in the inclined state. Then, when the rear crawler units 3, 3 are about to enter the flat area 46, as shown in FIG.
The front crawler units 2 and 2 swing in the direction of arrow B to return to the initial state parallel to the frame 1, and the rear crawler units 3 and 3 swing downward (in the direction of arrow C) with respect to the frame 1. As a result, the frame 1 gradually falls from the inclined state and moves forward while returning to the horizontal state. That is, the frame 1 is prevented from suddenly falling forward.
When the frame 1 has returned to a substantially horizontal state to some extent, the rear crawler units 3 and 3 swing upward to return to the initial state parallel to the frame 1, and the entire vehicle rides on the flat area 46.

When descending the stairs 45 from the flat area 46, the operation is the reverse of the above-described ascending operation. When the rear crawler units 3 and 3 approach the stairs 45, they move downward with respect to the frame 1. Oscillates and the rear crawler unit 3,
When the frame 3 contacts the stairs 45, the rear of the frame 1 can be supported so as not to be sharply inclined. The stairs 45 may be descended from the front crawler units 2 and 2 or the stairs 45 may be climbed from the rear crawler units 3 and 3.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the front shaft 10 may be driven by the driving means 4 and an engine may be used instead of the motor 12. Alternatively, the interlocking rotating means 5 and 5 may be omitted, and the front shaft 10 and the rear shaft 11 may be independently and synchronously driven to rotate by two motors or engines. Further, front / rear interlocking rotating means 4 comprising pulleys and belts
Omit the front wheels 30, 30 and the rear wheels 3
The rotational drive of the second and second crawler units 2 and 2 and the rear crawler units 3 and 3 may be controlled at the same rotational speed.

In the present embodiment, the left and front crawler units 2 and 3 and the right and front crawler units 2 and 3 are rotated at a constant rotational speed so as to travel straight in the front-rear direction. , The front shaft 10 and the rear shaft 11 are separated at an intermediate portion, and each of the two shafts is divided into two shafts.
The rear crawler units 2 and 3 and the right front and rear crawler units 2 and 3 may be configured to be able to turn left and right with a rotational speed difference.

[0027]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(According to claim 1 or 2) It is possible to travel on rough roads 43 such as sandy ground, muddy ground, gravel road, and up and down steps such as stairs 45 and hills. Can be widely used. In particular, when climbing up or down the stairs 45, the left and right front crawler units 2, 2 and the rear crawler units 3, 3 swing up and down, and the flat area 46 (landing area or the top step) and the stairs 45 , The frame 1 is supported so as not to suddenly fall down, and the frame 1 can be slowly brought into the horizontal state or the inclined state, which is excellent in safety.

(According to claim 2) The front crawler units 2 and 2 and the rear crawler units 3 and 3
3 can be interlockedly rotated at a constant rotation speed, simplifying the structure and facilitating fabrication.

[0030] According to the third aspect, when traveling on a road 42 in good condition such as a flat ground, the left and right front wheels 30 and 30 and the rear wheels 32 and 32 are swung downward, and the left and right front wheels 30 and 30 are swung downward. By traveling with the crawler units 2 and 2 and the rear crawler units 3 and 3 floated off the road 42, traveling resistance is greatly reduced, and energy-saving traveling can be performed. When traveling on a rough road 43 in a worse condition, the front and rear wheels 30,..., 32 are returned to the initial state at the same height position as the front and rear crawler units 2,. Thus, the vehicle can travel stably on the rough road 43. Further, for example, when the front part of the vehicle falls into a large recess 44 of the rough road 43 during traveling, the front wheels 30,
By swinging the upper part 30 out of the recess 44 and then swinging it downward to lift the front crawler units 2, it is possible to easily escape from the recess 44.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motor for individually driving the front wheels 30, 30 and the rear wheels 32, 32,
Means for controlling the rotational speed of the front and rear crawler units 2 and 3 to be equal to those of the front and rear crawler units 2 and 3 can be omitted, so that the structure is simplified and the production is facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a powered vehicle according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view.

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view showing a mounting structure of a swing arm and a swing piece.

FIG. 4 is an operation explanatory view showing a swing operation of a swing arm.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view showing the swinging operation of the swinging piece.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling state on a flat road.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a running state on a rough road such as a sandy ground or a muddy ground.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling state on a worse road.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of falling into a recess on a bad road to escape.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of ascending a stair.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the stairs reach the landing or the top step.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 frame 2 front crawler unit 3 rear crawler unit 4 driving means 5 interlocking rotation means 6 front swing means 7 rear swing means 10 front shaft 11 rear shaft 14 front swing arm 15 rear swing arm 30 front wheel 31 hydraulic cylinder 32 Rear wheel 33 Hydraulic cylinder 40 Front interlocking rotating means 41 Rear interlocking rotating means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A frame 1, a pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 provided on the left and right side surfaces of the frame 1 and the front end side of the frame 1 can be vertically swung. A pair of left and right rear crawler units 3 and 3 provided so as to be able to swing up and down, and a driving unit 4 for rotationally driving the pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 and / or the pair of left and right rear crawler units 3 and 3; A front swing means 6 for synchronously swinging a pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 in the same direction, and a rear swing means 7 for synchronously swinging a pair of left and right rear crawler units 3 and 3 in the same direction. A powered vehicle characterized by comprising: 2. A frame 1; a pair of parallel front shafts 10 and rear shafts 11 rotatably provided through a front-rear intermediate portion of the frame 1 in the left-right direction;
Drive means 4 for rotationally driving one of the rear shafts 11
A pair of left and right front swing arms 14 and 14 having rear ends pivotally attached to both ends of the front shaft 10;
A pair of left and right rear swing arms 15, 15 pivotally attached to both ends of 11
A pair of left and right front crawler units 2 and 2 respectively provided on the pair of left and right front swing arms 14 and 14 and rotated by torque from the front shaft 10; 15 and a pair of right and left rear crawler units 3 and 3 that rotate with the torque from the rear shaft 11 and the front and rear crawler units 2 and 3 respectively.
, A pair of left and right front crawler units 3, 3, and a pair of left and right rear crawler units 3, 3.
And a rear swinging means 7 for synchronously swinging in the same direction. 3. A pair of left and right front wheels 30, 30 are provided at the front ends of the pair of left and right front swing arms 14, 14 in front of the pair of front crawler units 2, 2 so as to be vertically swingable. Hydraulic cylinders 31, 31 for swinging the front wheels 30, 30, respectively
And a pair of left and right rear wheels 32, 32 are provided at the rear ends of the pair of left and right rear swing arms 15, 15 at positions rearward of the pair of rear crawler units 3, 3 so as to be vertically swingable. Hydraulic cylinders 33, 33 for swinging the rear wheels 32, 32, respectively.
The powered vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising: 4. A front interlocking rotation means 40 for interlockingly rotating the front wheel 30 and the front crawler unit 2 at an equal rotation speed, and a rear interlocking rotation means 41 for interlockingly rotating the rear wheel 32 and the rear crawler unit 3 at an equal rotation speed. The powered vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising: